


It All Started With Good Intentions...

by juntei



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alcohol, Drunken Shenanigans, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Unnamed Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Valentione's Day (Final Fantasy XIV), Valentione's Fic Exchange (Final Fantasy XIV), WoL is a gremlin, but she means well, rogue bffs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 04:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29620563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juntei/pseuds/juntei
Summary: Another round disappeared before Thancred eyed her suspiciously. “What is that mischievous brain of yours thinking?”She smiled and shrugged. “We should spread some Valentione’s cheer. Gods know the people of the Crystarium could use some.”With a sigh, Thancred said, “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I? Alright, tell me your plan.”The Warrior of Light is determined to spread some Valentione's Day festive cheer to the Crystarium and drags Thancred along for the ride.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3
Collections: Bookclub Valentione's Fic Exchange 2021





	It All Started With Good Intentions...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheRedshirtWhoLived](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedshirtWhoLived/gifts).



> I loved the prompt and had a ton of fun writing some silly shenanigans so I really hope you enjoy it as well!

There was a musical clink as she tapped her glass to his, both draining the fiery shot of alcohol in one go. Shaking her head at the burn down her throat, the Warrior said, “Ah, I missed this. Been too long since we could sit and have a drink together.”

Thancred smiled at her, waving to Glynard from their spot at the bar in The Wandering Stairs to get his attention for another round. “Indeed it has, my friend. Even longer for me.”

The Warrior hummed in acknowledgement. “Shall we make up for lost time then?,” she asked, watching as the imposing galdjent poured them two more shots.

Shaggy white hair bounced as Thancred nodded, his golden-brown eyes bright.

With a grin, the Warrior turned to Glynard. “Perhaps you should just leave the bottle.”

He looked between the two rogues and shrugged. “Seems like you two can hold your liquor. Don’t make me regret this later.”

“Thank you, my good sir,” Thancred said with a cheeky wink before downing the just-poured alcohol.

“Oi. Wait for me!” Not to be outdone, the Warrior threw back her drink even while grabbing for the bottle. “So!,” she said, filling their glasses once again. “I popped back to the Source earlier today and you’ll never believe it.”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t know how all this wibbly-wobbly time between worlds works, but it’s Valentione’s Day there.”

Another round disappeared before Thancred eyed her suspiciously. “What is that mischievous brain of yours thinking?”

She smiled and shrugged. “We should spread some Valentione’s cheer. Gods know the people of the Crystarium could use some.”

With a sigh, Thancred said, “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I? Alright, tell me your plan.”

A couple hours and many shots of alcohol later, the two rogues were situated on the catwalks high above the Musica Universalis, dressed in fluffy moogle costumes, complete with a hat bearing a bouncy heart-shaped pom. They were holding decorative bows, not made for real combat by any means, and one heart-tipped arrow each. The height made the market area below sway softly, as if the Warrior were looking over a wind-swept sea. Perhaps she shouldn’t have had quite so many drinks.

Thancred looked himself up and down, heart pom bobbing as he did so. “What have I gotten myself into?”

“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun! Have I ever steered you wrong?”

Thancred gave the Warrior a _look_.

“Alright, other than all those times,” she said, waving him off.

“And you’re certain these won’t hurt anyone?” He eyed the bow and arrow. Though not intended as a weapon, it still very much looked like one.

“Nope! They’re magicked to explode into perfectly harmless heart confetti.” She bit her lip thoughtfully. “Let’s not aim them too close to people just in case, however.”

“Right.” Thancred shrugged. “Well, here goes.”

They aimed at different directions, slightly above the market stalls, in hopes that the confetti would flutter down on the patrons wandering the stalls.

“Three… two… one.” The Warrior counted down and they loosed their arrows.

They impacted with the stone brick walls of the Crystarium and exploded. Really exploded. The Warrior shielded her eyes from the blinding burst of light, the impressively loud bang ringing in her ears even as the catwalk rattled and shook, flaming pink and red heart confetti raining to the ground over the market stalls and crowd.

There was shock and then chaos erupted, people scattering away from the fiery and yet festive debris.

“Oh hells,” said the Warrior.

“Tell me,” Thancred said, “where did you acquire these magic arrows?”

“Carvallain gave me a really great deal on them.”

“You bought them from _Carvallain_?”

“Sure, he’s done right by us before, and he knows I work with the Sisters, so….”

“He’s still a _pirate_.”

The Warrior nodded. “True.”

Below them, some of the guards had quelled the chaos and ensured none of the stalls had caught on fire. A few glanced up, trying to find the source of the commotion, and then pointed their direction.

“Oh double hells,” said the Warrior, already shoving Thancred. “ _Run_.”

They took off, metal of the catwalk clanging under their feet as they headed towards the Aetheryte Plaza. Skirting around the edge of the Rotunda’s upper level, the shouting from down below intensified as they saw guards pounding their way up the stairs. Thankful that that deposited them on the opposite side of the round, glassy building housing the aetheryte, the Warrior made a sharp left onto one of the long walkways that framed the grandiose Lakeland entrance of the Crystarium.

“You know this is a dead end, right?,” Thancred shouted from just behind her.

“It’s fine! I have a plan!”

She heard him mumble something under his breath before he said, “I sure hope so!”

Large decorative blue and gold banners hung from iron arches protruding out from the walkway, and it was the furthest of these that was the Warrior’s goal. She glanced back over her shoulder, spotting the guards quickly running at them and blocking the path they had taken. “Well, only one way out now.”

As she hopped over the railing, balancing nimbly on the arch above the banner, Thancred said, “You have got to be kidding me.”

Then she leapt, grabbing onto the banner to slide down the smooth and thankfully sturdy fabric. “You coming or what?,” she yelled as she reached the end and dropped the rest of the way, rolling to break her fall as she hit the stonework of the plaza.

The Warrior watched Thancred come sailing down towards her, looking like a large and surprisingly agile moogle. From above, guards were staring at them with baffled expressions even while yelling back towards their colleagues that had remained by the Rotunda. From nearby the aetheryte, half a dozen more eyes looked their way.

Thancred had barely gotten to his feet when she was tugging his arm. “Uh, we gotta go.”

The Warrior led them through the Rookery, hopping fences and dodging piles of hay, feathers flying from the startled, squawking amaros as they ran past.

“This would be so much easier without these godsdamned costumes,” said Thancred.

“Look, they seemed like a good idea at the time!”

“We’re out in the open here. Any other brilliant plans in that head of yours?”

The Warrior grinned back at him. “Always! Follow me!”

“Ah, good,” said Thancred with a sigh.

She made a beeline for the towering, twisting tree at the edge of the Rookery, it’s luscious leaves and trailing vines a more vivid purple than the others nearby. She skidded to a stop right at the edge of the hole it grew through, all the way up from the Hortorium far below.

“Oh no. No, absolutely not,” Thancred said.

“OH YES!,” shouted the Warrior before leaping happily towards the monstrous tree, sliding and bouncing dozens of yalms down along the thick, intertwined branches towards the lowest level of the Crystarium. All the movement was reminding her exactly how much alcohol she had consumed and it hit her all at once. She halted suddenly, wobbling as she balanced on a section of the trunk not far from the ground, the world spinning a little too much for her taste.

Except Thancred hadn’t noticed she’d stopped, not far behind as he barrelled into her at full momentum. They fell the last few fulms to the wooden planks of the Hortorium’s walkways, purple leaves and fluff from the costumes exploding into the air as they landed in a tangled heap of limbs. The Warrior, beneath Thancred, looked up and met his dazed expression which no doubt mirrored her own. Then they both burst into fits of laughter even as she shoved him off of her.

“This reminds me of our first mission together ,” the Warrior said as she unsteadily pushed herself onto her feet.

“You mean in Camp Drybone when we fleeced that roegadyn at cards and he and his extremely murderous gang of marauders ended up chasing us across half of Eastern Thanalan?” Thancred waved a hand at the Warrior as a plea to help him up.

She ignored him, yanking off bits of her costume instead. “Yeah. That guy was a lot faster than he looked.”

Thancred rolled his eyes at her before standing on his own. “At least we weren’t wearing these at the time.” He grumbled loudly, tugging the top half off of his costume over his head.

“Speak for yourself. When we were drunkenly tumbling off that one extremely tall hill, the landing _hurt_.” She was hopping on one foot, slipping off the last of the costume when she glanced up to see multiple guards peeking over the edge of the hole from the Rookery. “Whoops, we gotta go.”

Thancred shook the bottom of his costume off his leg as the Warrior tugged him away. She ducked her head down, ignoring the glares from the various botanists and researchers as they weaved around them and headed towards the stairs up out of the Hortorium.

“Alright,” she turned to Thancred as they climbed, “we just turn left up here, sneak into the Cabinet of Curiosity, and find a nook to hide in until the commotion dies down. No one will be the wis—“

When they reached the top, a cadre of guards was already waiting. A tall viis woman with white hair stood at their centre, arms crossed, glaring at the pair.

Thancred leaned towards the Warrior. “I don’t think being friends of the Exarch is going to get us out of this one.”

The Warrior nodded. “I think you might be right.”

***

Thin shafts of sunlight stirred the Warrior from her sleep. She groaned and squinted against the brightness, head throbbing painfully. She was sat on the floor, back against a rough brick wall, leaning on something soft and warm. And lightly snoring.

The Warrior pushed herself up off of Thancred’s shoulder, startling him awake. He grumbled at her, then said, “Oh gods, my head.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she merely hummed in agreement.

Then the tap tap tapping of a foot on the stone floor drew their attention to the bars at the front of the gaol cell they were apparently in. Memories of the previous day slowly filtered into the Warrior’s hazy mind as she met Y’shtola’s extremely disapproving stare. She waved meekly at the white-haired miqo’te.

“I would have hoped you two had grown out of these sorts of misadventures by now,” Y’shtola said.

“Apparently not?” The Warrior shrugged. “In our defense—“

Y’shtola held up a hand. “None of your usual excuses, please. Just… do try be on your best behaviour for the rest of your stay on the First. Even the Exarch had a difficult time convincing Lyna to let you two go free without any serious consequences.”

Thancred and the Warrior exchanged glances. Then he turned back to Y’shtola. “So, you’re saying there will be _some_ consequences.”

Y’shtola simply sighed and gestured for a nearby guard to open the door to their cell. “I believe Lyna would prefer to explain that to you both herself. We’re heading to the Ocular. Now. Follow me.”

She didn’t even wait for the rogues to stand, and they had to scramble after her out of the gaol, which was housed in the lower levels of Syracus Tower.

As they made the climb up the blue spiralling stairs towards the Ocular, the Warrior eyed Y’shtola carefully. When it seemed that the other Scion was unlikely to look behind her, she put her hand out towards Thancred, palm up. He slapped it lightly and grinned.

The Warrior winked at him. “Can’t wait for Hatching-tide to come around.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thancred: _Please_ no moogle costumes next time.
> 
> ~ ~ ~
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!!
> 
> Wanna come hang out with a ton of fun, enabling peeps? Join the [bookclub](https://discord.gg/PhxDmwxrWj)!


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